The Men’s Open has never been more unpredictable following Chris Bumstead’s move into the division. In a recent YouTube video shared on November 1, 2024, Nick Walker discussed his comeback plans and gave his opinion on Bumstead’s chances at the upcoming 2024 EVLS Prague Pro.
Nick Walker has endured a string of bad luck lately. In 2023, he withdrew from the Mr. Olympia days before the contest after injuring his hamstring and calf. Although he returned at the 2024 New York Pro victorious, misfortune followed him on his way to the biggest show of the year. His ex-coach, Matt Jansen, revealed that Walker’s body wasn’t responding to preparations and that he needed time to rest, prompting him to pull out of the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
Chris Bumstead, meanwhile, laid claim to his sixth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title in Las Vegas, Nevada. He issued an emotional retirement announcement from Classic Physique shortly after the triumph. Before settling into his new life, Bumstead felt compelled to continue with his bodybuilding career. He signed up to compete in the Men’s Open class at the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro, taking place November 16-17.
Nick Walker Says He ‘Has to Blow Minds’ With Comeback, Discusses Chris Bumstead’s Move to Men’s Open
Walker believes Chris Bumstead has the potential to present a package that ‘we’ve never seen before’ with 10 pounds of added muscle.
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“I think it’s fantastic and I wouldn’t be surprised if he won,” said Walker. “Listen, that’s putting me on the spot there [Martin Fitzwater versus Chris Bumstead]. We’ve never seen Chris in the Open yet right, so this would be the true test. I think Chris even with how tall he is, you put another according to him, he wants to come in 10 pounds heavier, that’s a full Chris Bumstead that we’ve never seen before.”
He acknowledged that Bumstead is dangerous and has the potential to win the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro, where he’ll have to get past Martin Fitzwater, who recently took fourth place at the Mr. Olympia.
“So what is that going to look like? I see him all the time. Chris is not a small guy by any means, trust me. He’s already a big boy. So, now that we’re going to see what an actual Chris looks like in his best form, to me, that’s dangerous. That’s dangerous.”
“He has the potential to win it,” adds Walker. “If he wins, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to do it [stay in the Open].
As for the future of Classic Physique Olympia, Walker contends that Mike Sommerfeld will win the vacant title if he comes into the 2025 event slightly improved.
“If Mike shows up the way he did next year like this year, slightly improved, he’ll win,” says Walker. “Mike was just that good. Hell no [no one expected Mike Sommerfeld to improve that much].”
Walker made it clear that he won’t be competing in the 2025 Arnold Classic, which will award its Men’s Open winner $500,000.
“No I won’t do the Arnold. I don’t think that’s enough time. I do feel I lost a decent amount of size. I want to solidify the majority of that back before entering a prep. Depending on how the year goes, I definitely want to do more than just one show now. Even though I did New York Pro, I feel like I had a two-year off-season to a degree.”
He wants to take a page out of Samson Dauda‘s playbook and compete at multiple shows next year, though is not ready to announce which ones.
“I want to be like Samson and just do multiple shows and say fuck it. So we’ll see. I have a couple shows in mind, I’m not going to say them just yet. They are probably going to be more back to back to back to back which will make things a little easier,” said Walker.
At this point in his career, Walker believes he can’t just ‘show up,’ but has to ‘blow minds’ when he returns to the stage.
“Look, 500K yeah it’s a lot of money. Money is always going to spark anyone’s interest but I also don’t want to show up with a physique that’s like ‘Oh yeah, Nick looks good.’
For me now, with how the past two years went, I need to show up where people go ‘Oh fuck, Nick is back.’ You know what I mean? I can’t just show up anymore, I have to fucking blow minds at this point.”
Despite Walker taking a step back from the competitive stage for the time being, that hasn’t stopped him from attacking training sessions with a chip on his shoulder. He recently showcased an intense pull-day workout and shared one of his go-to off-season meals.
The future for Nick Walker remains uncertain but he has major plans to come back at his best. In time, he will inform his fans and followers of which bodybuilding contests he intends to enter in pursuit of his 2025 Mr. Olympia qualification.
Watch the full video from the Think BIG Bodybuilding Media YouTube channel below:
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